Snuggie Love
by Trinity Everett
Summary: Castle has an unusual, creative talent, and he wants to share it with Beckett. Threeshot (for now), first part set post-2x18,second part set post-8x22, third part future!Fic. Caskett.
1. Snuggie Love

**Snuggie Love**

 _Prompt from Anonymous: "OMG that interview with Nathan,he's a bless. And that makes me wondering if you could write a castle fic about it? Like Castle makes snuggies for everyone in the Castle household? Or like he makes one for Beckett the first year they work together, and Beckett just can't believe he makes it himself?"_

 **Post-2x18ish**

* * *

"For you."

She blinks, staring at him with a blank face, the gift in his outstretched arms ignored for the time being. He makes no move to take the bundle back, though, instead shifting his grip to make it easier to hold onto – just in case they're here a while.

"What are you talking about?" Beckett asks finally, her brow wrinkling in confusion. "What is this?"

"A gift?" he says, his eyes opening wider. "An object given willingly to someone else without expected repayment; often in celebration of a notable event in the recipient's life?"

She rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Thanks, Merriam Webster. I know what a gift is. What I don't know is why you're giving one to me."

Another sarcastic response almost rolls of his tongue, but he curbs it, licking his lips and going for honesty instead. "Because you've been through a lot recently, and I thought having something comfortable and warm might help make things a little easier as you look for a new place."

Beckett softens a hair, her eyes darting to the fleece in his hands. "That's… actually kind of sweet, Castle."

"I know," he says, allowing his smile to widen when she purses her lips in an attempt to hide hers. "But seriously, I know when your apartment exploded, you lost a lot of the little things like throw pillows and blankets. The comforting stuff. So here's a piece to start off your replacement collection."

At long last, she takes the bundle from his hands, trailing soft fingers over the vintage, colorful elephant pattern.

"I made it," he adds proudly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Beckett freezes, her eyes lifting to meet his.

"You… made this."

His head bobs. "Uh huh. It's really easy once you get the hang of it. I made one for Alexis and one for my mother – though she never uses it – a few years ago, and I made one for myself last winter."

Beckett nods, looking almost thoughtful for some reason. His fingers itch to reach for her, to brush his thumb over her lower lip before she can pull it between her teeth.

"What?" Rick asks, tilting his head. "Is it the pattern? Because I debated, but I remembered seeing that painting in your old place, and then there are the elephants on your desk, and–"

"No," she interrupts, flattening her palm against the fleece, protective. "No, the pattern is beautiful, Castle. It's just… I didn't know you even knew how to sew."

"I taught myself after Mother refused to make me an ET Halloween costume. She said I was too old."

Beckett's lips purse, her eyes sparkling with something he's come to recognize as her own eagerness to hear his stories, to know what makes him tick. "How old were you?"

"Thirty-two," he answers, delighting in the bark of laughter that spills from her mouth. "It was _Halloween_ , Beckett. There was a theme Alexis and I were working with."

"Sure it was," she laughs again, shaking her head. After a moment, the mockery falls from her face, leaving a gentle, soft smile on her cheeks.

"Thank you. I can't believe you made me a blanket."

Just like that, his anxiety over the gift is siphoned away; she likes it.

"Oh, it's not a blanket," he says, watching her eyes narrow in suspicion at the correction. Maybe he should've allowed her to discover it on her own, but oh well; the cat's out of the bag now.

"It's not?" Beckett asks slowly, studying the fabric in her hands like she's afraid he's given her something that might explode. "What is it then?"

"Well it is a blanket, kind of. But that's not _all_ it is."

She exhales, dropping her head. "Do I want to know?"

"It's a _Snuggie_ , Beckett," he announces, nudging the bundle until it unfurls, the bottom hem nearly touching the floor. "Here, look. These are the sleeves, and I put Velcro on the back so you can close it and it keeps all of you warm. Nobody wants a hospital gown version. And oh! Best part," he says, manipulating the fleece until she can see the front, "is the pocket. That's my personal addition to the design. That way you can store your phone, or snacks, or just keep your hands warm while you watch TV."

"You made me a _Snuggie_ ," she repeats after a long pause. "You made me an actual Snuggie like they sell on late night TV infomercials."

"Yes? They seem silly, I know, but they're so comfortable. Once you're wearing it, you'll forget that you ever felt ridiculous!"

To his astonishment, instead of shutting him down with a sharp barb, she just laughs. "Somehow I doubt that, but thank you. This really was nice of you. And ET costume or not, I'm still surprised you know how to make something like a Snuggie."

Rick smiles again, preening a bit harder. "I have many, many talents, Beckett. And I'd be happy to show them all to you, just say the word. Any time, day or night."

'Mhmm, I'm sure you would," she murmurs, folding the fleece with unexpected care. Once she's done, she cradles the gift to her chest, regarding him with soft eyes. "See you tomorrow, Castle."

"See you tomorrow," he echoes, watching her hoist her bag onto her shoulder and slip away from her desk, never loosening her hold on the fleece.

He can't be sure, but he's sure he sees her press her face – and a sweet, shy smile – against the fabric before the elevator doors close.

* * *

 _I hope you liked this! For anyone curious, this is a gifset of the interview with Nathan the prompter mentioned: bunysliper tumblr_ _post/159902653951/rufustfirefly-do-you-have-any-secret-skills-x_

 _This was originally posted on my tumblr. There will be a second chapter to this, set a few years in the future, called_ And a Snuggie Makes Three.


	2. And a Snuggie Makes Three

**And a Snuggie Makes Three**

 **A post-8x22 follow-up ficlet to Snuggie Love for ipreferwestside.**

* * *

"Okay, we have popcorn, we have chocolate, and we have picked our movies," he lists, transferring everything to the tray on the counter and looking around. "Anything else?"

His wife grumbles from the next room. "No. Now come on. You promised a movie night, Castle; at this rate, I'll fall asleep before we even get started."

Snickering, Rick lifts the tray off the counter. She has been dozing off pretty early lately. With good reason, of course, but he can still tease. "On my way."

"Thank you," she exhales, muttering something he can't quite catch as he makes his way across the living room.

He starts to ask what she'd said, but as he slips between the bookshelves of their office, his footsteps stutter and the words die on his lips. Oh, this is good.

He won't draw attention to it, won't say a word, but he does take a moment to marvel at her.

He knows she uses it; more than once he'd seen the fabric bundled at the end of her old couch, like she had been snuggled underneath and had hastily thrown it off in her rush to answer the door, and after they started dating, she had brought it out and pulled it across her legs while she read. But he's never seen her using it this way.

This time, his wife is wearing the Snuggie he'd sewn for her years ago as it was always intended to be worn: arms in the sleeves, Velcroed shut at the back, her legs covered to her propped feet.

"Our treats are served," Rick singsongs, lowering the tray to the table in front of her. "Do the honors and I'll be right back," he adds, watching Kate's face light up only to twist in confusion.

"Wait, where are you going?" she asks, catching his wrist before he can get too far.

He grins. "I gotta get mine out of the closet."

"Your–" she stops, only to glance down at herself and sigh. "Do not make fun of me. I was cold."

Twisting his hand to capture hers, he shakes his head. "I wouldn't dream of it, Kate. I just want to match." He squeezes her fingers, slipping away. He's halfway across the room before he adds, "And then I'm gonna take a picture of us and put it on the internet."

"Richard Castle, I will kill you."

"Somehow I doubt that," he taunts, dragging his own blanket with sleeves from its spot on a shelf. He slips into it with an ease he hadn't been able to muster a couple of months ago, reaching behind his head and around his back to fasten the Velcro before returning to her. "You want to keep me around; you've told me so."

"That was then," she retorts, crossing her arms over her chest. "Keep pushing and we'll see how committed I am to that now."

He sinks beside her, brandishing his phone to snap a few shots he never truly intends for the world to see. He just likes seeing her snug and warm, despite the early autumn heat wave the city is enduring. "I think I'll take my chances."

Kate sticks her tongue out, but loops her arm through his and acquiesces to the next photo he takes. It's not half bad, even with the face she's making, and he catches her smiling at their images when he shows her the preview.

"One more," she concedes, nudging his arm up. "Make it a good one if it's going on twitter."

Touching his grin to her hair, he takes one final picture. "It's not. Now, weren't you ready to start the movie a few minutes ago?"

Beckett bumps him with her shoulder, finding the remote between their bodies to put an end to the looping DVD menu. After another minute of rearranging, of bringing their snacks closer and worming his Snuggie-covered arm around her shoulders, they settle in to enjoy the movie.

At least until Kate grumbles, using him for leverage to get to her feet.

"Pause?" he asks, touching her hip with a steadying hand. She waves him off, already moving toward their bedroom.

"I'll be quick."

Sure enough, she's back just a few minutes later, sinking into the cove of his body once more. Rick pulls her closer, trailing his fingers down her arm.

"Everything okay?" he asks. She hates that question, has sniped at him so many times for asking, but he can't always curb the urge to protect her where he can. They've been through so much; he needs to know she isn't in pain, isn't wanting for something he has the power to provide, even if it's nothing more than comfort.

To his surprise, Kate just nods. "All good. Just had to pee again."

"Good." He slips his hand into the front pocket of her Snuggie, flattening his palm over the gentle swell of her belly, the life they'd created and nearly lost in the spring, the extraordinary reason for their low-key movie nights and fervent hope.

Kate chuckles against his collar. "You've been dying to do that all night, haven't you?"

"Mhmm," his lips pucker in her hair. "Since the moment I saw you were wearing it. How often _do_ you wear it, by the way?"

His wife laughs, squeezing his hand through the fleece. "Since I've been on this round of bed rest? Nearly every day. See what you miss when you go off to do your real job?"

"Well, luckily, that's not something I have to do again until after Christmas."

"Mmm, lucky for you," Kate teases, tapping his jaw with gentle fingers.

His thumb caresses her belly, making soft circles through the fleece. "What can I say? I'm the luckiest alive," he murmurs, pressing his mouth to hers.

* * *

 _Prompt: A post-couple sequel in which they have matching Snuggies and they snuggle together in them._


	3. Tea and Snuggies

_Prompt: From Anonymous - The Snuggie Universe definitely needs a third installment (at the very least!)._

 _I hope you like this, Anon!_

 **Tea and Snuggies**

* * *

"Daddy, what you doing?"

Rick sits up, fighting the urge to groan as his back protests the last hour and a half spent hunched over. He should be writing, but he's taking a short hiatus from the keyboard to work on another project – a very important project, no less – but his attention is needed somewhere else now that Lily's up from her nap.

"Hey, little flower," he rumbles, watching his daughter's nose scrunch in delight at the nickname. Kate always calls her that; he tends to stick with the name he'd given her in utero, but today it springs from his lips easily. "I'm making something for you."

Lily brightens, her smile stretching wide across her face. "Fo' me?"

He allows a soft chuckle to escape his chest as he reaches for her, lifting her onto his knee. "Uh huh. You know the cuddle blankets Mommy and I have?" he asks, smoothing his thumb over the crease her pillow has left on her cheek.

His daughter nods, leaning into his palm, her eyelids slipping shut for a few brief seconds before they flutter open once again, pinning him with a look of expectation. He hums, dusting a kiss to her forehead; she's so much like her mother sometimes.

"I'm making you one," Rick murmurs, watching her bolt up, her gaze snapping between him and the fleece material on the table in front of him.

Technically, he's already made her one – when they first found out Kate was pregnant, he'd sewn a tiny baby-sized Snuggie – but she'd only worn it a few times before outgrowing the gift. His wife had been worried about Lily overheating, worried she might choke if they fastened it and worried she might tangle herself in it if they didn't, so they had reserved the Snuggie for walks in the park on particularly cold days. Now that she's older, he's confident she'll get more use out of it.

"It's so soft and pwetty, Daddy."

He grins, touching his lips to her hair. He'd picked a pattern similar to the one he'd chosen for Kate years ago. It's not exact – the elephants are a little more cartoonish, the colors a little more pastel – but it's close. "I'm glad you like it, Sprout."

Lily beams back at him, hooking an arm around his neck and yanking him into an exuberant – albeit slightly choking – hug.

"I'll finish it soon, okay? What do you say we go play right now?"

His daughter thinks for a moment, looking back at the fabric again. "I can help you?"

"You want to help me finish your Snuggie?" Lily nods. "Instead of playing a game?" Another nod. "If you're sure."

She groans, flopping against his shoulder. "Yes, Daddy."

Rick snickers, nodding into her hair. "Kiss please, then we'll get started."

Lily makes a show of taking his cheeks between her palms, locking eyes with him before smacking a deliberate kiss on his forehead. Little goof.

"Dere."

"There," he echoes, squeezing her. He's biased, he knows, but his daughter is one of the most adorable toddlers on the planet. "Okay, you hold this piece right here, make sure it stays flat, and we'll sew the pocket."

Lily nods, her tongue pushing between her lips, ready to concentrate on the task ahead.

Together they do surprisingly efficient work, managing to complete everything except for a few details – the Velcro on the back and hemming the sleeves – before Lily begins to squirm on his knee. Rick stills her with a hand to her belly, promising it won't be much longer.

"What do you want to do after we finish this?" he asks, trying to distract her from her boredom long enough to be able to complete the project. He's so close. He just has a couple more things he needs to do.

The princess tea party answer doesn't surprise him in the least, nor does the request to wear her new "cuddle blanket."

"Perfect, Sprout," he agrees, running the first side of the Velcro through the machine. "We can see if Mommy wants in on this party, too."

"I can ask her?" Lily offers, twisting in his arms, looking so hopeful and eager, he can't deny her.

"Sure you can, baby," he says, checking to make sure his wife hasn't already texted. She usually doesn't leave the precinct for another forty-five minutes, but there's always a possibility that they'll be able to tempt her away from her desk sooner than that. Especially if Lily's the one doing the enticing. "Just press this and tell Mommy what we're doing."

She nods, proceeding to record possibly the world's most adorable audio message asking her mother if she wants to join their party, tapping the send button with a flourish when she's done.

"That was a great message," Rick praises, sewing the last of the Velcro as she beams. "Mommy's going to love it."

He's putting the finishing touches on Lily's Snuggie when Kate replies, letting them know she's on her way. Rick smiles, kissing his daughter's cheek. "Time to get ready for our party; Mommy's going to be here soon."

Lily grins, squirming down from his lap and scampering off to find her princess tea party supplies. He follows a minute later, three Snuggies in hand, already anticipating the look on Kate's face when she realizes it's not just any old princess tea party this time around.

She's going to love it, though. Just as she loves her daughter, just as she loves him, and just as she loves her blanket with sleeves.


End file.
